Preservator

Drip drip drip. How many buildings must we lose? (via The Portland Mercury: http://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2016/08/31/18533886/after-outcry-portland-will-force-delay-to-some-old-building-demolitions)

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/nyregion/the-magic-shop-a-venerable-recording-studio-in-soho-will-close.html?_r=0

“We’re at a critical point in the cycle with postmodern interiors in New York,” [preservationist Theodore] Grunewald said. “When they’re new, people get excited about them. After a while, they disappear into the background of the city. People look at other new things. These buildings recede. Right before they’re rediscovered, people think they’re worthless. The same thing happened with Art Deco. That’s a dangerous moment.”

If the rumors are true, it's just another chapter in the story of Manhattan's Lower East Side, dying its slow death-by-a-thousand-cuts brought by homogenization, luxury development, and rent-hikes.

- Feargus O'Sullivan in CityLab On the transformation of London's Soho from interesting, queer, bohemian, and all-night into something glassy and dreadfully boring. 

Carter Wilkie on former Boston Mayor Tom Menino's preservation legacy.http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2013/03/29/protecting-historic-buildings-and-neighborhoods-tom-menino-blazed-trail-preservation-for-other-urban-mayors/jXUaT6iXq80qWat5ztrFGP/story.html

Buildings designed by modernist giants Richard Neutra and Robert Alexander in Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park were named a National Treasure by the National Trust earlier this month. [AP]

Michael Bloomberg: Mayor of Preservation [Wall Street Journal] Yo Pritzker: Give Denise Scott Brown her due [Change.org petition] Should Madison Square Garden stay put... FOREVER? [A/N blog]

Holy Moses, has it been this long? Preservator readers - all three of you - I apologize. I have been cheating on you, writing for a certain Philly-centric online outlet. But, let's be real, I miss being here too. So let's not dwell in neglect, but push on where we left off. Here are a few Friday HOT LINKS: JFK's PanAm Worldport (now Delta Terminal 3) building is a goner [Atlantic Cities] To be fair, this once futuristic, jet-age wonder has seen better days, but what a bummer. savetheworldport.org What's a tree worth? Maybe more than your house. [Next City] Affordable LGBT housing for seniors in Philly's Gayborhood by Wallace Roberts Todd [A/N blog] Why the Philadelphia Historical Commission won't process any nominations [Hidden City Daily] Isn't it time to divorce Penn Station and Madison Square Garden? Kimmelman says yes. [NYTimes] LPC designates 5 historic firehouses: Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace, Longwood, Rockaway Park, and Bathgate [A/N blog] Grand Central Station at 100, a look at this beauty past and present [A/N blog]  

City Life Could Change Your Brain for the Worse [Wired] National Trust for Historic Preservation Announces 2011 List of America's 11 Most Endangered Places [NTHP] America Reviving its Highway System for Cyclists [GOOD] Solving the Real Estate Crisis with Parks [The Dirt] Philly Stories: Park Preservation: Help Save East Kensington's Emerald Park [Grid] Philadelphia's Summer Music Festival Breakdown [Philebrity] Philly Independent Film Festival Gears Up [Newsworks Owner of Church [of the Assumption] Takes Demolition Appeal to Common Pleas Court [PlanPhilly] Nightmarket's Next Stop: Mt. Airy on Aug. 4 [nightmarket]

For especially good interior photos of the post office and courts, visit the General Services Administration page for the Robert N. C. Nix, Sr. Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. All photos above by Preservator.

Renderings for the BLT Architects redesign of the Kimmel Center's Dorrance H. Hamilton Garden have been released, revealing a more functional event space - check them out on the A/N blog. West Kensington's beautiful, twin-spired Visitation BVM Catholic Church (built in 1879) is a finalist in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "This Place Matters" grant competition. The $25,000 prize would support Visitation's church, school, and community center. Vote for Visitaiton BVM here. The Philadelphia Housing Authority is seeking nonprofit takers for more than 1,000 of its vacant properties, and will over more than 1,200 to the public at market rates. [Inquirer]  SEPTA plans to install batteries along the Market-Frankford line to capture and store power generated as trains stop [New York Times Green blog].

Whoa nelly. Hot times. Don't forget that the City of Philadelphia has an interactive map designed to help you beat summer heat, showing swimming pools and cooling centers. Click here. I really miss phillyskyline.com. Brad Maule, the man behind the lens and the words, returned to Philly briefly and posted a great photo essay of his trip on his new website, Maule of America, here. It makes me miss PhillySkyline even more. Over at PhillyHistory, Shawn Evans posted about the prevalence of the city's neighborhood movie theaters. The pictures of these lost picture palaces are fantastic. According to the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, The Future Begins Now. This week the commission adopted the Philadelphia 2035 Citywide Vision this week. If you're up for the long read, download the full thing here, or the summary here. Inga sums it up in this week's Changing Skyline.

Palms to pines. This is the lake in the Catskills where my grandmother lives. It's the most beautiful place I know.

Hot Links: Philadelphia Inquirer building is up for sale (again). [Philly.com] Bart Blatstein's trashy manners [DailyNews] SEPTA launches TransitView, for real-time bus and trolley info [TechnicallyPhilly.com] Changing Skyline History vs. Highrises: An Urban Debate [Inquirer] This weekend: Philly Beer Week kicks off today - some picks via PhillyHomegrown [HomegrownBlog] The Roots Picnic 6/4 at Festival Pier[okayplayer] Philadelphia Burger Brawl benefit for William M. Meredith Elementary School [facebook] New farmers market opens this 6/5 in Pennsport's Dickenson Square Park [uwishunu]

I popped over to the newly opened Race Street Pier yesterday. Despite the heat, there were several people there enjoying the new park: a couple of people camped out on the new wood benches in the shade of relatively mature swamp oak trees, a few parked on the steps, and two guys were fishing off the end of the pier. Field Operations' design succeeds in creating a wide variety of spaces, heights, and textures that are a pleasure to discover along the length of the pier. The trees are already relatively mature, and with time will make the park a cool, leafy landscape along the water. Access to the new park space is easy, though it feels a little lonely in its current setting. Here's hoping it will be connected to more public improvements along the Delaware River in short order. Maybe it was yesterday's heat, but I couldn't help but think that an ice cream stand would be an fantastic addition at the park's entry. Enjoy the long weekend, everyone.